Air cooling system



Nov. 1, 1960 s. BRANEKY 2,958,207

AIR COOLING SYSTEM Filed Nov. 3, 1958 30 Elli 38 INVENTOR. 8 TE PHEN BRANEK Y United States Patent AIR COOLING SYSTEM Stephen Braneky, R.F.D. 1, Canal Fulton, Ohio Filed Nov. 3, 1958,'Ser. No. 771,653

3 Claims. (Cl. 62-468) This invention relates to cooling apparatus and more particularly to an air cooling system.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a completely automatic air cooling system for various types of enclosures, such as automobiles and portable cooling containers, that is completely responsive to changes in ambient air temperature to increase and decrease the cooling etfect therewithin.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air cooling system of the above type that embodies a compartment filled with Dry Ice having ports-in communication therewith which are automatically opened and closed in response to changes in the temperature within a particular enclosure with which it is associated.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an air cooling system bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view, with parts broken away, of an enclosure embodying an air cooling system made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged top view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 showing the outer housing broken away;

Figure 3 is a front view of Figure 2 shown in elevation and partly sectioned illustrating one embodiment of the present invention in operative use;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the aperture openings in the container wall that is shown in phantom lines in Figures 2 and 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of certain parts of a modified form of construction.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, and more particularly to Figure 1 thereof, an air cooling system made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include an enclosure 12 of any particular size and shape that is to be cooled, such as the interior of a portable cooling container for an automobile, and an adjacent compartment 13 which is filled with Dry Ice 14. A wall 15 between the enclosure 12 and compartment 13 normally insulates the enclosure from the cooling effect of the ice 14. However, in response to actuation by a control mechanism hereinafter more fully described, a plurality of passageways or ports in the wall 15 are opened to allow the cool air from the compartment 13 to enter into and cool the air Within the enclosure 12.

With specific reference now to Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing, a control system made in accordance with one form of the present invention for controlling the opening and closing of the openings or ports in the common wall 15 is shown to include a thermostatic unit having a dial supported upon a shaft common to a setting cam 21 2,958,207 Patented Nov. 1, 1960 that is in sliding engagement with a set screw 22 which is received by a vertical leaf member 23. The dial 20 is a circular disc rigidly mounted upon one end of the rotatable common shaft with eccentric cam 21 rigidly mounted upon the opposite end, the face of said dial 20 is provided with a scale with degree of temperature marked thereon with which the rigid pointer 33, secured to plate 18, cooperates. Turning of the dial in one direction to a desired marking, for a desired temperature, will at the same time turn the eccentric cam 21, the turning of the cam 21 will effect longitudinal movement of set screw 22 which is threadedly attached to the upper U-shaped end of leaf member 23, which is rigidly attached to the upper end of the bracket 17 which is pivotally mounted at its lower end to plate 18. The cam setting will establish the normal position of said bracket 17, thereby governing the amount of travel of the upper end of the bimetallic strip 16 to open or close the passageways, or ports. Rotary movement of set screw 22 will allow for adjustment of the bracket movement so as to be correct with the dial setting, with proper cooling of enclosure 12 A grate disc 25 having a plurality of radially spaced apart slots 26 of substantially the same size and shape as the spaces therebetween is mounted adjacent to the wall 15 which is also provided with similar slots 26a of substantially equal size and shape. An actuating arm 30 is reciprocatingly and pivotally connected at one end by a pin 31 to the plate 25 near its outer periphery and at the opposite end to the free end of a bimetallic strip 16, or compound bar formed of two flat strips of dissimilar metals such as iron and brass, said arm extending outwardly from said bimetallic strip substantially at right angles thereto, said bimetallic strip being fixedly secured at its lower end to bracket 17 which is pivotally secured to plate 18 which is secured to plate 19 by a plurality of screws 32.

A pointed vertical projection 33 is fixedly secured on the upper end of plate 18 to indicate the temperature desired on dial 20. A stop 34 is fixedly secured to plate 18 to prevent the bimetallic strip 16 from flexing beyond a desired point where the plate 25 closes the openings 26a in plate 15. The outer housing 35 is provided with a plurality of elongated vertical openings to expose strip 17 to air in enclosure 12. As the ambient temperature within the enclosure 12 changes, the bimetallic strip 16 will flex, in a Well known manner, so as to effect circular movement of the grate plate 25. When the slots 26 of the grate plate 25 are in communication with the similar openings 26a in the common wall 15, cool air from the ice compartment 13 will enter into the enclosure 12 and thus cool it. As the temperature within the enclosure drops, the bimetallic strip 17 will flex in an opposite direction so as to move the plate 25 back into closing relationship with the openings or ports in the common wall 15. By setting the dial plate 20 of the thermostatic unit, it is possible to cause the grate plate 25 to open and close at predetermined points between selected temperature limits.

Referring now more in detail to Figure 5 of the drawing, a modified form of control unit is shown wherein the gate is rectangular or square and contains a plurality of elongated vertical openings 38 which mate with a like number of openings therethrough wall 15. The method of motion being in this case a horizontal sliding motion.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An automatic air cooling system of the character described comprising, in combination, a housing unit, an enclosure to be cooled within said housing unit, a Dry Ice storage compartment within said housing unit, a wall Within said housing unit intermediate saidenclosure and said compartment, said wall embodying a plurality of circumferentially equally spaced apart radial passageways, substantially the same size and shape as the spaces therebetween, and extending therethrough joining said closure with said compartment, a circular disc having a plurality of radially spaced apart slots of substantially the same size and shape as the spaces therebetween and also substantially the same size and shape as saidpassageways in said wall, rotatably mounted adjacent to said wall in a single plane between open and closed position relative to said passageways'in said wall, and temperature responsive means automatically controlling said rotatable movement of said circular disc, said temperature responsive means comprising an outer instrument housing with a supporting wall member intermediate the front and rear walls thereof, a dial mounted upon one end of a rotatable shaft extending through the upper end portion of said supporting wall member of said instrument housing, an eccentric cam mounted upon the opposite end of said shaft, said dial having a setting thereon and located adjacent the rear side of said supporting wall member, said cam located adjacent the front side of said supporting Wall member, an adjustable set-screw horizontally and threadedly mounted in a vertical leaf member with one end in contact with the exterior work engaging edge surface of said cam, said leaf member assembled with the upper end of a bracket pivotally mounted upon said supporting wall member adjacent the base end of said instrument housing, a non-adjustable edge portion of said circular disc and the upper end of said bi-metallic strip for adjusting the position of said circular disc in response to flexing of said bi-metallic strip, rotation of said dial effecting rotation of said eccentric cam and thereby pivotally moving said leaf member and said bracket mounted upon said supporting wall member of said instrument housing to govern selective temperature limits, the pivotal movement of said bracket controlled solely'by rotary movement of said cam which is controlled by said dial, the rotary adjustment of said set-screw .being the sole means for adjusting the movement of said bracket so as to correspond andbe correct with the dial setting.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said leaf member is formed with an inverted U-shape end portion and said set-screw extends through both depending walls thereof, and said arm being eccentrically and pivotally connected to said disc adjacent to the outer periphery thereof, and the opposite end of said arm rigidly secured to the upper end of the vertically arranged bi-metallic strip and extending outwardly and substantially at right angles therewith. 3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein said arm is formed with end portions and an intermediate portion, said end portions parallel with respect to each other and said intermediate portion formed with an off-set between said end portions andat right angles thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent Willat Oct. 12, 1937 

